Profile

Hajia Azara Abukari-Haroun is a professional Chartered Banker (retired). She is the former CEO of Zakat and Sadaqa Trust Fund of Ghana.

Hajia Azara studied and worked in London. Her educational qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree from Open University UK, an Executive MBA, (Finance Option) from University of Ghana as well as an Associateship with both the Chartered Institute of Bankers UK and Ghana.

She moved back to Ghana in 1996 and began a career in Banking at the then Home Finance Company (HFC), a Non-Bank Financial Institution at the time as a Mortgage Finance Officer. She was one of the officers who worked tirelessly to help the HFC metamorphose into a fully-fledged Universal Bank and was appropriately appointed its very first Branch Manager when the then HFC Bank Ghana Limited was fully established. She rose through the Banking mill to become the Head of Institutional Banking of the HFC Bank, now Republic Bank, Ghana.

Hajia Azara’s experience in Banking and Finance spans over a thirty-year period, and includes, but not limited to social benefits finance, deposit taking, mortgage financing, credit appraisals, administration, marketing, branch banking, risk management as well as social and organizational change management. These have instilled in her a deep understanding and knowledge of the Ghanaian Banking Industry and importantly, Corporate Governance issues. She has also an in depth experience in the management of Non-Governmental Organizations.

Hajia Azara is also on the Board of these institutions: Ghana Road Fund, Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Guest House, Opportunity International Savings and Loans Company and National Muslim Conference of Ghana.

Hajia Azara enjoys as hobbies, hands-on community development, Charity work, counselling, Family management, reading, walking and swimming.